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Found a Jet lathe on craigslist. Good price?

http://amarillo.craigslist.org/tls/3274021145.html

Boy, I think they could have posted a little bit smaller of a picture .

scotties22 wrote:Boy, I think they could have posted a little bit smaller of a picture .

I know, right!

Looks like I might have to actually go look at it to determine what kind of condition its in.

Wouldn't be a bad little trip. Especially if it's gonna be a nice day for a drive.

Looks a lot like my lathe. I got it for a steal, IMO, which wasn't a whole lot cheaper than the one you posted.

Let me not exaggerate, I LOVE MY LATHE. If it's in great condition, is Taiwan made, and comes with tooling enough to get yourself going, I think you may have a winner there.

Well someone must have bought it.

I didn't get to see the price or the picture. But I got my Jet 9x20 for $600 and it came with the factory stand. So real good deals can be had.

So no one bought the lathe, he just lowered the price and re-posted. Its sitting at 1400 right now.

http://amarillo.craigslist.org/tls/3309143988.html

I don't think Jet makes a 10x24 anymore; I haven't been able to find one. If it is in good shape do you guys think that it's worth it?

There's no way to tell from that tiny picture. If it's close enough, make an appointment to go take look at it.

KurtHuhn wrote:There's no way to tell from that tiny picture. If it's close enough, make an appointment to go take look at it.

Bingo, Kurt. The pic is irritatingly small. It's just down the road so I am going to go check it out.

I know that there has been tons of advice on lathes in this forum, but what are the big things I need to be on the lookout for when buying a used lathe?

Ok, guys. I really need help here. I went to go check out this lathe. Looks alright. Definitely used. The owner told me he had used it as late as last week to turn down some PVC. I looked at it, but I know jack crap about lathes. All I could really say is "well, that's a lathe alright." I had no clue how to evaluate what kind of condition it was in. I did ask him to turn it on, and it does run. I offered him 1200 and he said that would be fine. I told him I would need to arrange some transportation and wouldn't be able to get back with him for a few days. We didn't shake on it so I can still back out if I need to.

I snapped some pics. What do you guys think?

Uh... yeah, that looks almost exactly like my lathe. If it comes with the tools pictured and includes spare cutting tools and a jacobs, $1200 is a solid price. Belt driven and made in Taiwan... Jesse, that's a kick ass deal, IMO. I am no lathe expert, but my lathe is basically the same, just slightly larger. If it's centered, it runs well, and it comes with the tooling pictured, that is about as good as it gets for $1200. I believe you will be very happy if you buy it.

When making transport arrangements, keep in mind that lathe is gonna be heavy as hell. I hope that you have a garage or something that you can just cart it into. Lifting it will likely be out of the question.

That's one of the old Taiwanese machines. Very good quality, much better than the current Chinese product. I can't tell much about wear from the pictures. Will look more closely, but I like this vintage of Jet. I have a 13-inch like it and it's a very good machine.

Thanks guys! Any more input? I can't tell you how many times I've jumped on a "good deal" and been burned later.

Ocelot55 wrote:Thanks guys! Any more input? I can't tell you how many times I've jumped on a "good deal" and been burned later.

Not really. I've looked at the pictures closely, and I can't tell if the ways have a ridge from abrasive wear or it's just the light. Doesn't look like they've been overly generous with the way oil, but it doesn't matter all that much for pipes. The ways on these things are very hard, unless they're worn past the hardening. "Burned" is relative. I didn't look where you are, but some parts of the world have more lathes than others. $1200 is a bit much in Cleveland, probably a pretty good deal in, say, Nebraska. I bought my 13 for $900 on ebay and picked it up with my, um, pickup. $1200 is fair-ish. It's a far better machine than a new Jet 920. Just look at those sight glasses for spindle bearing oil. Look at those nice big gradations on the compound. Even if there's slop in the screws you'll appreciate those dials. If you watched ebay you might be able to get one like that for $800, but it wouldn't be where you are, and you'd have even LESS idea if it worked. If you've got the cash, I'd say go ahead and skip the buyer's remorse. You're not going to flip it, you're going to make pipes with it. Now have my friend Mark Yingling make a decent chuck for you.

I would just like to point out that if you made an offer, and he accepted, then your not having shaken hands on it doesn't really give you a legitimate out on the deal. C'mon.

Rad

Wicked big old tools like that are usually repairable too. I have a tablesaw that dates from about 1955, and I can still get parts for it more easily than a brand new Porter Cable.

I think you're on the right track with that machine.

So, unless there is something terribly wrong with the motor or some other vital part of the lathe, you guys think this is a fair deal. Not awesome, but fair.

Next question. Would I need another chuck to hold the blocks? He does have some extra jaws that are slightly larger. He also has a jacob's chuck. I would also need some wood turning tools for the shaping. How much more should I expect to spend?

Well, here in SA I would say jump on it! Looks like a nice big solid machine, much better than mine. Go for it!
And yes, you will need a chuck, unless he's got a 4 jaw in the deal as well. Even then, it'll help you along, but ultimately get a Nova or one made specifically for pipemaking.

Texas. Good price. Not a lot of surplus industrial equipment.

As far as wood turning chisels, that depends. I like the Wood River chisels. I feel they're a very good value for the money and they go for about $40 or less depending on tool. The ones I use the most are a 1/4" bowl gouge, 1/2" oval skew, and 1/8" parting tool. Those may or may not work for you - unfortunately you need to figure that out for yourself and determine which tools are best for the way you work.